By Maria Carvalho, PharmD, MRPharmS, PhD, Manager of PCCA Science

Every year, PCCA presents scientific posters at international conferences, from medical events to scientific and professional meetings. Our goal is to share the high-quality research conducted on our PCCA products and formulas with a wide community of professionals. So far, we have presented our research in nine countries around the world: United Arab Emirates, Australia (Melbourne and Sidney), Ireland, the U.K. (Birmingham and London), Germany, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands and the U.S. (Las Vegas, Lake Buena Vista, Phoenix, San Diego, Anaheim, Orlando, Scottsdale, Chicago, Portland and Baltimore).

What is a scientific poster presentation? Why is it important?

A poster presentation starts with submitting a research abstract to the scientific committee of a conference. The research abstract is then subjected to a rigorous peer-review process, and, upon acceptance, the corresponding scientific poster may be exhibited at the conference. Because of the peer-review process, conference abstracts and posters are an official means of scientific publication.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to many virtual conferences due to the restrictions imposed on public events. Despite their challenges, virtual conferences are a great opportunity for physicians, pharmacists and even patients to attend conferences that were once out of reach. The result is that international conferences in 2020 and 2021 saw a considerable increase in their number of virtual attendees in comparison to participants in previous years. For this reason, PCCA is investing a lot of resources in presenting the science behind our products and formulas at these virtual conferences.

Beyond presentation at conferences, scientific posters offer prescribers and pharmacists valuable, peer-reviewed information on potential treatment options for their patients. In this way, they are similar to peer-reviewed journal articles and can help inform treatment decisions. Pharmacists can therefore bring them up in conversations with doctors and other health care practitioners when discussing their patients.

Below are summaries of our latest poster presentations.

Absorption of Progesterone, Testosterone, Estriol and Estradiol in VersaBase^® Cream and VersaBase Anhydrous HRT

Presented at the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID) Virtual Meeting on May 3–8, 2021

The Society for Investigative Dermatology is a renowned U.S. organization established in 1937 that is devoted to investigative work in cutaneous biology. The 2021 virtual meeting gathered close to 1,600 attendees both in the live sessions as well as in the on-demand content, which remained available in the weeks following the virtual program.

PCCA presented a scientific poster titled “Evaluation of the in Vitro Percutaneous Absorption of Progesterone, Testosterone, Estriol and Estradiol Topical Compounded Formulations” (Figure 1). This study demonstrated that bioidentical hormones penetrate through the skin (stratum corneum, epidermis and dermis) upon application of corresponding PCCA formulas that used VersaBase Cream and VersaBase Anhydrous HRT. These results are important evidence to support the effectiveness of compounded bioidentical hormone replacement therapy since the in vitro model used has proven to accurately predict in vivo permeation kinetics. The corresponding conference abstract was published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (Volume 141, Issue 5, Supplement), which is a highly ranked scientific journal with an impact factor of 7.143.

Figure 1: Evaluation of the in Vitro Percutaneous Absorption of Progesterone, Testosterone, Estriol and Estradiol Topical Compounded Formulations

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (with VersaBase Anhydrous HRT) in a Premenopausal Woman

Case study presented at the 2021 ACOG Virtual Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting on April 30 – May 2, 2021

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is the premier professional organization for obstetrician-gynecologists and providers of women’s health care, comprising more than 60,000 members. The 2021 virtual meeting — Personalizing Care: A Way to the Future — showcased over 70 sessions of both livestreamed and on-demand content.

PCCA presented a scientific poster titled “Case Study: Testosterone Replacement Therapy in a Premenopausal Woman” (Figure 2). In this case study, a patient with psychological symptoms and sexual disfunction was successfully treated with a testosterone 0.75 mg/Gm topical gel made with Versabase Anhydrous HRT. Following six months of testosterone therapy, the patient reported good clinical outcomes, and her salivary testosterone levels increased from low to optimal. Despite the myths and misconceptions associated with testosterone, there is scientific evidence to support the safety and effectiveness of compounded testosterone therapy in women.

Figure 2: Case Study: Testosterone Replacement Therapy in a Premenopausal Woman

PCCA Ellage^® Anhydrous Vaginal: A Mucoadhesive, Anhydrous and Self-Emulsifying Vaginal Base for Compounded Medications

Presented at the 12th PBP World Meeting (Virtual) on May 11–14, 2021

The World Meeting on Pharmaceutics, Biopharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Technology (PBP) is a scientific congress with the accompanying exhibition ResearchPharm^®. With more than 1,000 submitted abstracts and about 1,300 participants, this conference has become a significant meeting of scientists and other pharmaceutical professionals from all over the world.

PCCA presented a scientific poster titled “Development of a Mucoadhesive, Anhydrous and Self-Emulsifying Vaginal Base for Compounded Medications” (Figure 3). The science behind PCCA’s base Ellage Anhydrous Vaginal was described in detail with the support of the corresponding research and development tests. The supporting research demonstrates that this vaginal base has high retention potential in vitro — superior to a long-lasting vaginal moisturizer of reference — and also that it exhibits its self-emulsifying properties in the presence of variable amounts of vaginal fluid simulant. In clinical practice, it was concluded that lipophilic active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are expected to exhibit a slow drug release from the vaginal base due to the encapsulation in the lipophilic droplets, whereas hydrophilic APIs are expected to exhibit a fast drug release directly from the aqueous phase. For further information on the science behind Ellage, please read my article on The PCCA Blog, “ The Science Behind Ellage Anhydrous Vaginal Base .”

Figure 3: Development of a Mucoadhesive, Anhydrous and Self-Emulsifying Vaginal Base for Compounded Medications

Upcoming PCCA Scientific Poster Presentations

Our upcoming conference presentations are as follows:

• 13^th Annual Conference of the European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI) on September 22–23, 2021 (Virtual)
• Annual Meeting by The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) on September 22–25, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

Stay tuned for more details on the posters we’ll present at these upcoming scientific conferences!

All PCCA scientific posters are available for download on the PCCA Science webpage . For additional information, please contact us at PCCAScience@pccarx.com.

Maria Carvalho, PharmD, MRPharmS, PhD, is the Manager of PCCA Science. She is a certified pharmacist in Portugal and the United Kingdom with a PhD in pharmaceutical compounding from the University College of London (UCL). Maria has worked in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy and the pharmaceutical industry in Europe and the United States. She was a teaching assistant at the UCL School of Pharmacy (UK) and an invited teacher at the University Fernando Pessoa (Portugal). Maria has authored and co-authored many scientific publications, including the book Compounding Practices in Europe (ISBN-10:149236925X).